The Portland daily press., 1887-05-30
o'BrIen's mission.

The brutal riots at Kingston, Toronto, and
Hamilton have done much to rescue O'Brien's
mission from failure. But it is yet a Ques-
ton whether he has accomplished his main
purpose,-to benefit the Irish cause and sus-
tain the hands of Gladstone and Parnell
Mr.. 0'Brien has held Lord Lansdowne up to
condemnation he has made out case against
him which has been answered only by brick
bats and pistol shots; and finally he has I'M
doubleday aroused among thousands in Can
ada and the United States a ready sympathy
for the cause of Ireland and an equally
ready unfriendliness for Lansdowne and
the British. This Mr.. O'Brien has undoubt-
eddy accomplished. But was this the object
that wise leadership should have striven to
accomplish? In Canada and the United
States there is already steady sympathy
for Ireland which has so far been sufficient
for every crisis. Sympathy here was not
particularly needed. The place above all
others where the irish cause needs sympa-
thy is among the middle and industrial class
es of England, the classes which are the
backbone of the great Liberal party that is
now enlisted on the side of Ireland. And it
is doubtful whether Mr.. O'Brien, in spite
OF the help the mobs have given him, has
not alienated rather than pleased these Eng
lishmen who must be Ireland's friends if Ire
land Is to win. Mr.. OBrien's immediate
purpose was to break the influence of
the Queens yiceroy in Canada. No
practical and immediate benefit to the
Irish people was expected But he was
to have from Lansdowne what, in
fba 1,,,, T.,
ages by stirring up in Canada and the
United States powerful public sentiment
against him. But that public sentiment has
been stirred up as well against the English
government, and the tone of press and peo-
pie on this side of the Atlantic has become
louder and more dicatorial than ever that
England shall not only recall Lansdowne in
disgrace, but reverse her Irish policy. There
may be races of men who delight to COM
pose their own quarrels according to outside
dictation; but they are not Anglo-Saxons
Americans were very indignant when domi-
nant English sentiment became officious in
favor of the South, not so much because that
sentiment was unjust as because it was for
eign. So are the English, especially those
classes that Ireland should have as friends,
liable, in their waverings of opinion, to be
turned against Ireland by too loud foreign
dictation that they shall favor Ireland and
smash Lansdowne and her other oppres-
sors. 1t Is to be feared that already some
thing of this sort has happened. The Lon
don Daily News, the great Liberal newspa-
per Of England and the favorite paper with
the middle and industrial classes, has seen
signs Of the bad effect of too much foreign
interference, and has given Mr.. O'Brien and
his friends this plain ending: "Of course, if
the Irish Nationalist think the Liberal par
ty in this country is of no use to them and
that they car do just as well without it, we
have nothing more to say. But if they de-
sire to act with as, there must be reciproci-
ty." The News means that if the English
Liberals are to rescue Ireland, the Irish
must abate a little Of their harshness towards
beliefs yet cherished by these Liberals. And
a belief in himself and impatience at outside
dictations in the settlement of his own af-
fairs, are primary characteristics of the Eng
lishman, whether he be Liberal or Tory.